Inside The Panthers

IMG Academy Standout AJ Marks Talks Pitt Recruitment

Recruited by more than two dozen schools, cornerback AJ Marks discussed his interest in Pitt and why the Panthers made the cut for his recent Top 10 schools list.

Kevin Sinclair

IG: ajmarks_1
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If you aren’t familiar with the caliber of talent fielded at IMG Academy, below is a breakdown of the five-star prospects the Bradenton, Florida, program carried in each recruiting class over the last decade. 

  • 2016 class: QB Shae Patterson, TE Isaac Nauta
  • 2017 class: DE Joshua Kaindoh, OLB Dylan Moses
  • 2018 class: DE Xavier Thomas, DT Taron Vincent
  • 2019 class: DE Nolan Smith, RB Trey Sanders, OT Evan Neal
  • 2020 class: CB Eli Ricks
  • 2021 class: OT JC Latham, QB J.J. McCarthy, LB Xavian Sorey Jr., WR Ja’Corey Brooks
  • 2022 class: DE Jihaad Campbell, CB Daylen Everette
  • 2023 class: OT Francis Mauigoa, CB Dezz Ricks
  • 2024 class: CB Ellis Robinson IV, DL David Stone, OT Jordan Seaton
  • 2025 class: IOL Michael Carroll

Every season, the IMG Academy roster is littered with Power Four recruits. So, it’s impressive that AJ Marks earned Defensive Player of the Year honors within the national powerhouse last year. 

Pursued from coast to coast as a cornerback recruit, Marks played on the perimeter, at the nickel position, and he played safety in 2024. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound prospect boasts 26 Division-I scholarship offers after recording 38 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. 

Pitt Panthers Cornerback Recruit AJ Marks
IG: ajmarks_1

Last Friday, Marks included Pittsburgh in the Top 10 scholarship options he announced on social media. 

Along with Pitt, his list included Central Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, Miami (OH), North Carolina, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and Toledo.

On Wednesday night, Marks spoke with Inside the Panthers to discuss a range of topics. 

I understand you’re from the Midwest and played your ball there before moving to Florida. Is that right? Did you grow up in the Midwest? 

“Yes, sir. I’m from Detroit, Michigan, and transferred right before my sophomore year. I went to Orchard Lake Saint Mary's.”

Tell me more about your background growing up in Michigan and what drew you to IMG Academy.

“So, I started, I was living my whole life in Michigan. I played Little League out there with Southfield Falcons. In junior high school, I was going to go to Cass Tech or Orchard Lake Saint Mary's, and I chose Orchard Lake Saint Mary's."

“I thought I was going to be there all four years, honestly."

“I was there for my freshman year, had a great year. That's when I started blowing up. I think I had 14 offers after that freshman year. And then going into my sophomore year, that summer I went to the Rivals Five-Star camp and I won the DB MVP."

“The next day, IMG head coach Billy Miller hit me up and said that he wanted me to come out here and play for IMG. Me and my family decided that it was probably the best to take the opportunity.”

In talking with IMG Academy players in the past, they talked about the college-like atmosphere with its training regimen, the high-level coaching and so on. What’s that been like in terms of the adjustment period and the benefits? 

“Oh yeah, most definitely, it was something that was a big part of me deciding to come down here ‘cause I knew that most things I get here I probably wasn't able to have as a resource at home in Detroit. So, coming here, I know that being able to have those resources can only make me better if I take advantage of what I have." 

“So, making that decision, I knew that it was going to help me with strength, speed, knowledge, being able to get ready for college. And there's something that weren't offered to me while I was at home, so we thought I was the best season to take it.”

The state of Florida and the national programs you faced like Bergen Catholic and East St. Louis are loaded with big-time players. For you, specifically, at cornerback, I know the programs you face and your own teammates at the receiver position have significant speed and talent. Do you feel like that level of competition has been one of the most important elements of your development at IMG Academy?

“Yeah, most definitely, it's only made me better. Playing against the best of the best at practice, playing against the best on the national schedule in games, it only makes me better. 

“It's just helping me learn different receivers, different sizes of receivers, different speed, all different types of route concepts, it’s just helping me to develop into a great corner."

“If I'm going against people that are just average or not as good as me, I'm probably not going to get much better going against them. So, going against people that are the same caliber, same level with me on the other side of the ball, it's helping me grow as a DB.”

Over time, you’ve racked up offers from coast to coast, adding more than two dozen scholarship offers. What’s it been like working through a college-like day-to-day schedule at IMG Academy while also juggling such a busy recruitment? 

“It's been extremely busy. Before the dead period hit, every day was a new coach coming to talk to me, coming to see me. It’s a great problem to have. Even though it's a lot, it's a good problem to have knowing that I have somewhere I can go to college for free. So, that's a blessing on top of blessings. 

“To have that opportunity…is something good that I just had to realize. I just take the good things out of it because even though it's a long, busy process, we’re going to do it one time. So, it's like just have fun with it and live the life.”

You put out a Top 10 not long ago. Can you talk about why you added Pitt to that list, specifically? 

“Yeah, Pitt has been one of my top schools ‘cause I have a great relationship with Archie Collins, and he offered me when I was a freshman. So, I've had a relationship with him for a long time. He's a DB coach, so having a good relationship with him means a lot. 

“He's also from Detroit, Michigan, so that's one thing me and him have in common. So, I know that he'll take care of Detroit kids. Having a relationship with him just made it a place that I feel like I can go, that I can see myself. 

“I also met Coach Pat Narduzzi, and building a relationship with him. So, just building a relationship with the whole staff, being in Pittsburgh, being in the city, it just seems like a great fit that I can see myself at.”

You visited Pittsburgh in the fall and attended a game, saw the city of Pittsburgh. What was that like? 

“It was good. The atmosphere was crazy because they’re playing in the NFL stadium and they’re still somehow getting all those people to come out to the games, all those students come out the games. So, it shows that it really has a great atmosphere, has a lot to offer.”

With your recruitment and official visits coming in the summer, what are your plans for making a final decision? Are you planning to narrow things down in the spring or summer, following your official visits, or are you just taking things as they come and don’t have a timeframe? 

“Yeah, I'm going to probably commit after my official visits during the summer.”

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Kevin Sinclair
KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.

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